


tangled up in your web

by cutey44210



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Anxiety Attacks, Awkward Romance, Deaf Character, Drama, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Muteness, New York City, Sign Language, Spiderman AU, Teen Romance, Teenagers, shy junhui, socially awkward jun and wonwoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29101914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutey44210/pseuds/cutey44210
Summary: a seventeen version of spiderman:homecoming pretty much
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Jeon Wonwoo & Kim Mingyu, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 40
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi everybody!!
> 
> so i really haven't written fics in a WHILE but i miss it.
> 
> i realize i never finished my fic sun in his eyes fire in his heart, and to be honest i found the 12k words a chapter to be daunting and i've just never found myself wanting to go back to finish. i hope one day it comes back, but honestly i can't force out chapters if my heart isn't in it. i'm really sorry :(
> 
> BUTTTTTT here i am with a completely new fic! i just rewatched all the marvel movies and something about the spidermans is just so dear to my heart so i just had to try and make one. i'm going to try my best and keep these chapters maybe 3k-4k so i'm more likely to do them on the weekends.
> 
> i kinda got the family dynamic from  
> [this adorable fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17855396/chapters/42135317)  
> which i really recommend you go read!!
> 
> sorry if my writing isn't the best, i'm so out of the loop. but i'm going to try my best!!
> 
> here goes nothing

The first thing that Jun registers at 7:27 in the morning with both of his groggy eyes still closed is the soft _pat_ _pat pat_ repeating over and over. The pattering seems to be close to his head, like droplets of water slipping and falling between the cracks of his ceiling that’s barely qualified to be called such a thing. It’s still managing to hold up the rowdy couple in the apartment above him somehow so it’s obviously not completely useless, but it sure does a shitty job of muffling the sound of said couple having probably the loudest arguments followed by rapid bed creaking. He refuses to think about it more than that.

The second thing he registers is the slight sound of whimpering following said patting. Is it a wounded dog? No, no it couldn’t be. His apartment doesn’t allow any pets and even if they did, getting them through Jeonghan would take an Ocean’s 11 level of stealth. A part of him thinks that Seungcheol would help him, though, but he doesn’t get to think about it any longer.

Because the third thing Jun registers is the wind being knocked out of him.

Eyes flying open and hand flying straight to his stomach, Jun topples over and falls on the floor with a dull _thud_. He tries to comfort the sudden aching in his wrist by coddling it but it only does so much when it feels like you’ve just been hit with the force of twenty hammers.

Jun bitterly looks up to see Chan’s face hovering over his and gets ready to yell at the younger for nearly killing him, but the look of panic in his eyes makes him forget about his wrist entirely.

“What was that?” Jun faintly hears Jeonghan yell from somewhere outside his room and down the hallway. He’s about to huff out an answer when Chan catches the older’s lips about to move and hurriedly kneels down next to him to place his chubby 8 year old hand on his mouth. Confused, Jun just stares at him with his hand still wrapped tightly around his wrist. It’s quiet for a couple beats, Jeonghan seemingly disinterested with whatever antics are ensuing within the boys’ room. Once Chan’s sure that the older won’t say anything, he signs quickly and sloppily.

_Was that Jeonghan? Please you have to tell him that I’m feeling sick, please please please._

Chan begins signing so fast that Jun is only able to pick up the words “today” “school”and “scared.”

With a sigh and a gradual residing pain in his wrist, Jun sits up and gently stills Chan’s shaking hands. He senses the anxiety rolling in waves off of him and hears his heartbeat thumping loudly. Even without his abilities he’s sure he would be able to hear it. His brother’s chest rises and falls too quickly for his own good, so he places his hands on his shoulders and waits for him to calm down. Once Chan opens his eyes again, Jun calmly takes his hands off his shoulders so he can sign.

_Do you really feel sick?_

Chan pauses a moment, looking down at his feet bashfully and toeing the fuzzy rug beneath him. He shakes his head.

Jun takes his chin and gently raises it so he’s able to see Jun.

_Are you scared?_

Chan huffs a sigh and nods his head, his eyes beginning to well with salty tears. Jun can’t help the heartbreaking sound that escapes his lips though he know Chan wouldn’t be able to hear it anyways.

Nothing in Jun could blame Chan for how he’s feeling. They had moved in with their uncle Jeonghan and his boyfriend, Seungcheol, a little over a year ago, trading their comfortable life in the suburbs of San Francisco to a cramped two-bedroom one-bath apartment in the heart of New York. If the transition was hard for Jun, which it most definitely was, then it was nearly impossible for Chan. It had already been hard enough for the younger to find other friends back in San Francisco being deaf (Jun never realized how absolutely awful and mean other kindergartners could be), so being in the biggest and busiest city in the U.S. definitely didn’t do anything to calm his anxieties.

Since Jun wasn’t deaf, Jeonghan had pushed him into school right away, smacking him right at the beginning of junior year. You know, the year where everybody has already established their cliques and who their friends are making it nearly impossible to connect with anybody and not be an outcast? Yeah, that year.

Jeonghan, on the other hand, decided that it would be best for Chan to start 1st grade being homeschooled. Their uncle worked from home anyways so it was easy for him to keep his eye on the boy while he took his classes virtually. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but honestly was any of it really?

But that was a year ago. Now the seasons have come full circle and it’s September once again. Chan’s therapist had decided that it would be best for him to start classes in person, taking a special program designated for deaf students at a hearing elementary school. His online schooling had began to make Chan more anxious in public and making it difficult for him to form relationships with others outside the house, so the move to a real school would benefit him in his therapist’s opinion. One part of Jun agreed with him, noticing himself the way his brother wouldn’t even look at others when they walked down the street and instead kept his eyes fixed on his shoes. The other part of Jun ached for him, though, just like right now.

Watching the quiet tears slip from Chan’s face while simultaneously suppressing his own, Jun wipes the younger’s eyes. He takes a second to think of what he wants to say before signing.

_I know you’re scared, and it’s okay to be scared. But you’re going to be okay, alright? I promise. And after school today we’ll go get ice cream at Jimmy’s down the block together, okay? I’ll get Wonwoo to come, too._

Chan visibly brightens a bit at the mention of the other boy, but his eyes are still a bit watery as he nods. It’s silent for a couple of moments before Chan hesitantly signs.

_I miss Mom and Dad._

Jun feels his heart break into a million pieces, sharing the same pain as Chan. He doesn’t know what else he can say in the moment so he does what words could never covey. He quietly pulls Chan close to his chest and hoists his legs on the side of his lap, cradling him like a baby. Chan immediately raises a hand to Jun’s chest and closes his eyes while he softly nuzzles into the crease of his neck, an automatic response to what they’ve done through every anxiety attack or stressful moment Chan’s ever had.

The older softly cards his hand through his hair and hums. He never really hums a real song when he does this sort of thing, just kind of makes up quiet melodies in the comfort of their tiny bedroom. It’s not like Chan would be able to hear it, anyways.

Instead of hearing, Chan feels. He feels the deep vibrations rumbling from his older brother’s chest, slowly calming his shaking hands and shallow breathing. It’s always been able to calm down Chan when nothing else can. He knows he can depend on Jun, steady and unmoving, to always be there for him.

Jun doesn’t know how long they sit there for, but he tenses abruptly when he hears a loud knock on his door and Jeonghan’s shrill voice from behind.

“Come on, are you boys almost ready? Jun can you tell Chan breakfast is ready? Seungcheol nearly burned down the fucking kitchen this morning trying to make a nice “first-day-of-school breakfast” for you guys so I’m not in the mood for any more bullshit. ”

Jun chuckles softly under his breath and forces Chan to sit up so he can get his full attention.

_You want breakfast? Seungcheol cooked today._

Immediately Chan’s face twists up causing another wave of laughter from the older. They both have known their uncle’s boyfriend long enough to know that him stepping anywhere near a kitchen is a fire hazard, bio hazard, really every kind of hazard.

Jun in his lame attempt at comedy pretends to eat a piece of fake food that Seungcheol made and falls over choking, holding his neck and struggling for air before finally falling still with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

Chan roars out in laughter, clutching his side and doubling over. Oh the joys of having a younger brother who still finds him funny and not a loser. Still somehow Jun is able to make Chan smile, the previous tears in his eyes coming back from a completely different emotion. He decides it’s worth looking like an idiot for that kind of payoff. Chan’s still not done laughing when he hears another knock on the door followed by Seungcheol’s voice.

“Did Jeonghan tell you guys I made breakfast? It’s pretty good! _And_ I didn’t burn the apartment down, thank you very much.”

Not even two seconds later from even further down the hallway he hears Jeonghan scream.

_“HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO GET SYRUP ON THE CEILING?!”_

The September air in New York isn’t the same as the September air in San Francisco.

Jun can’t really decide if he likes one over the other. In San Francisco, the autumn air was a lot cooler, a lot more damp. It was like breathing in the deepest part of a forest after a storm, the damp soil of it creating an atmosphere of familiarity. He missed that about San Francisco, and a part of him wonders if he’ll ever be able to experience it again.

New York’s autumn is a lot more crisp. It’s kind of like breathing in the fumes of a McDonald’s sprite. It’s energetic, lively, crisp. Granted, you also have to be okay with breathing in the fumes of car gas and the faint smell of garbage. He’s only been in the city for a little over a year so it feels wrong for him to call it the smell _familiar_ , but a weird part of him feels like he’s been here for way longer. In a way, all of his life. And he knows it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of his uncle and his boyfriend.

After his parents died, his uncle Jeonghan didn’t hesitate one second before taking in both of his nephews with open arms. Jeonghan himself was only 25 and living comfortably in a one-room apartment with his boyfriend Seungcheol without the faintest thought of having kids anytime soon. But situations beyond anybody’s control forced him to make a choice of forsaking his only nephews or taking them in. Lucky for Jun and Chan the choice was simple.

Jun had always heard about his only uncle growing up and saw him even less. Them living in San Fransisco and Jeonghan living in New York didn’t allow for them to see each other much. Every other year Jeonghan would come and visit for Christmas but that was about it. Despite this, Jun heard his mom talk about Jeonghan often. She’d talk to him on the phone for hours at least once a week, but right after would always tell Jun how much of a pain in the ass he was. Jun could see right through it, though. He could see it in the way that his mom had hung up pictures of her and her only sibling all around the house, he could hear it in the way she’d talk about Jeonghan with all the love an older sister would. It wasn’t until only recently that Jun had found out why the two were so close.

Jeonghan and his sister were thirteen years apart, so Jun’s mother was already well out of the house with kids and a husband by the time Jeonghan was even in middle school. The two weren’t super close during those years, the age gap and distance making it nearly impossible. That was until Jeonghan decided to come out to Jun’s grandparents when he had turned 18.

Jun’s uncle had purposely waited until he was 18 tell them about this, and his fears about coming out proved to be justified. His parents told him that they had no obligation to care for him anymore since he was 18, that he should move out of their house at once and never come back until he decided that he needed help and to repent for his sins. Apparently they though that at 18 you have no obligation to love your child, either.

So he did leave. He went to the other side of the country, leaving behind the West Coast entirely. He enrolled into college where he met Seungcheol, and the two have been inseparable since. As soon as he had told Jun’s mother about what happened, she immediately cut ties with her own parents as well. Jun hasn’t seen or heard from his own grandparents in over seven years, and in all honesty he’s okay with that. If he didn’t like his uncle for being gay, he’s pretty sure they wouldn’t be too keen on liking him either.

Moving in with Jeonghan was a bit of a transition for sure, but Jun was surprised with how quickly and how willingly the older had taken the role of being his guardian. Seungcheol, too. His uncle’s boyfriend truly had to be one of the clumsiest and most forgetful men he had ever met, Jeonghan having to constantly remind him to do the simplest things like pick up groceries (which he forgets most of the time) or to pick up Jeonghan’s prescriptions on the way home (which he forgets all of the time). Jun’s still shocked that he works at an office job because that requires, you know, having some sort of structure. But still, Seungcheol’s endearing, and as much as Jeonghan will nag and bicker with him like one half of an old married couple, he can sure the pure look of fondness in his eyes every time he walks into a room. The two of them feel like home in a way Jun doesn’t think he could ever describe, and he knows he wouldn’t have been able to adapt to the city so well without it.

Jun continues walking down the street, checking his phone for the time and beginning to pick up in a jog when he realizes just how long he’s been lost in his own thoughts. It’s not like Jun to really care if he’s late or not to school. Not that he’d ever say it out loud, but he’s probably smart enough to only show up on days with exams and being able to ace all of his classes. So no, he didn’t really care too much about getting to school on time. At least not last year, his junior year. But last year he didn’t have a certain Xu Minghao in his homeroom class, meaning he didn’t get to see the boy he has an embarrassingly big crush on every morning for ten, beautiful minutes.

Okay the word _see_ was a bit of a lie in that sense. That implies that you know the person, that you’d hang out with them maybe or strike up a conversation. But, to put it more accurately, this gives Jun the opportunity to _spy_ on Minghao. Yeah, that’s more fitting seeing that Jun has hardly said a single word to the boy for the entire year he’s been at Maspeth High. He remembers vividly the one time he was put in a group project with him for biology along with some other students where they had do a presentation on organisms. When Jun gets flustered it’s easy for his mind to jumble which leads to his mouth barfing out the same swirl of mess in his brain.

Let’s just say the word _organism_ sounds very similar to another word that’s very embarrassing to say in a room full of immature teenagers. And, of course, Jun had said it out loud during the presentation and was far too embarrassed to even look at Minghao for a good month after. Jun tries to block out the memory.

Now running at full speed, he holds the straps of his book bag tight and prays that his train hasn’t left yet. When he first had moved it took him weeks to find out the perfect train and the perfect cart to take every morning that wasn’t overcrowded. If he misses that train then, in simple terms, he’s fucked.

His feet pound against the stairs in the station, rushing out quick and quiet “sorry’s” while he making a straight-shot to the platform. A tiny part of him holds on to the hope that maybe life will be kind to him, especially for his first day of his senior year.

But life is a funny thing. More-so, it’s a cruel thing because Jun makes it on the platform just as his train pulls away.

He curses to himself while watching the tightly packed locomotive speed off, completely whisking away his one chance at spying not so inconspicuously at Minghao for the entire day.

Another rush of self-anger hits him and before he realizes it, he lets out a loud “FUCK!” on a platform full of passer-by’s. Luckily in New York nobody even bats an eye at such an outcry so, once again, he’s left alone with his own anger.

Jun pulls out his phone.

_7:52_

Fuck, there was no way he was going to get to school on time. The next train won’t come for at least another 8 minutes, and by the time he gets to school homeroom will be over.

He rests his phone’s edge on his forehead, gently scolding and hitting himself for being so stupid.

“Wait,” Jun whispers quietly to himself, the lightbulb in his head blinding him. He quickly swings his book bag to the front of his stomach and rummages through his notebooks. Reaching his hand to the very bottom, he finds it.

“Gotcha,” he victoriously chimes to himself. Jun looks around carefully, suddenly remembering he’s in a public place, and stuffs the device in the pocket of his hoodie. Swinging the book bag back around and pulling his hoodie up, he jogs down the stairs and out of the station

After he runs outside the station and into a back alley, he pulls on his black face mask and slips on the metallic device around his knuckles. Jun scans it quickly, making sure it’s functioning properly.

Once he looks out the alley and ensures nobody’s coming, he tests out a web on the wall. He points his fingers towards the wall and out of it springs a large web landing with a loud _splat_ on the wall. Jun smiles to himself and his creation before looking at his phone once more.

_7:55_

Fuck, he has to make it 12 blocks in 5 minutes.

Jun quickly fidgets to open the message app and simply types Wonwoo the word “ _roof._ ”

He tightens the strings of his hoodie and the straps of his book bag before making his way up a fire escape and on top of a small apartment.

Looking out on the city and taking in the New York air, Jun smiles to himself under his mask. Raising both arms out like a _Titanic_ pose, he falls forward and tumbles quickly to the ground.

Before his body is able to make the sickening crunch of bones on pavement, he extends his arm towards the sky and shoots his web towards the top of another building. Jun tries his best not to scream from excitement, but no matter how many times he does this he’ll never be able to help it.

He swings with ease between the buildings, trying his best to stay high enough as to not raise too much suspicion. Everybody’s so busy getting from point A to point B that he’s pretty sure they wouldn’t even notice if the sky was green, anyways.

Jun swings as fast as he can, carefully maneuvering to get to school the quickest way possible. He almost hits several birds on the way but he doesn’t so he considers it a minor success.

Once he finally has the school in his line of sight, he gracefully swings and flips straight onto the roof of the building but not-so-gracefully lets his book bag slip from his shoulders and fall onto the brick.

“Fuck,” he curses says to himself for the twentieth time that morning, praying to every possible god that the laptop Jeonghan had just bough him didn’t crack. Jeonghan was a cool uncle but _not_ when you get on his bad side.

Jun brushes off the thought as a situation for later-Jun and runs to the door just as Wonwoo is pulling it open. Jun pulls down his face mask and smiles dopily at him, the rush from his commute still coursing through his veins. Wonwoo gives him a slightly annoyed look before signing.

_You couldn’t have taken the train?_

Jun lets out a breathy laugh and pats Wonwoo on the shoulder.

“What’s the fun in that?” he asks nonchalantly, which causes Wonwoo to roll his eyes so far back that he’s worried they’ll get stuck in their sockets.

_You’re just rubbing in that you have powers. I can’t stand you._

“First of all, they’re not powers,” Jun tells him for the millionth time while rushing down the stairs. “My senses are just, I don’t know, _hightened.”_

Wonwoo waves his hand in a way to say “whatever.”

“And second of all who else would put up with all your science and lego bullshit?”

Wonwoo turns to him with a sharp and hurt expression.

_Bullshit?? Legos are not bullshit they’re the building blocks of-_

“Okay, okay, _fine_ I take it back. Oh, before I forget you’re coming with Chan and I to get ice cream at Jimmy’s later. It’s his first day of school and he’s pretty stressed out.”

Wonwoo nods in understanding just as the bell rings.

Jun gasps, pulling Wonwoo’s wrist and leading him through the halls.

“Come on! We got to hurry so we can see if Minghao’s wearing a crop top today!”

Wonwoo laughs and follows, his best friend leaving him no choice.

All in all, it was about as normal as any Monday could get for Jun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back with another chapter so soon??
> 
> yes
> 
> but you'll have to wait a bit longer for the next heehee
> 
> enjoy!

“Has Minghao worn those pants before?”

Wonwoo turns towards his best friend, a slightly curious and mocking look staining his face before he can control it. Jun’s leaning his head on his cheek while staring dreamily across the cafeteria to see Minghao standing next to his table of friends. The petite boy with the wavy red hair is wearing a flowy gray blouse with brown pants that are lighter in some spots than others. His fingernails are painted a fierce shade of orange, like the middle flame from a lick of fire, and his neck adorns a thick, black choker. If anybody else in the entire school had attempted such a statement, they would’ve stood out like a sore thumb. And Minghao _did_ stand out like a sore thumb, just in the best possible way. Jun is the same room as him, so close yet still millions of lightyears away (and one too many tiers down on the high school popularity chart).

The raven haired boy looks back at a love-sick Jun, pretending to wipe a bit of drool seeping from the other’s mouth. It snaps Jun out of his daze instantly, eliciting an annoyed sigh from his lips and smacking Wonwoo’s hand away from his chin. The taller boy laughs breathlessly, a quiet little escape of air leaving his lips, training his eyes to his textbook below him. He’d much rather filter through his AP Calc textbook than to have to stand one more second of his not-so-obvious friend. Still, he manages to discreetly look up past the rims of his glasses to catch a glimpse at Mingyu who’s sitting at the head of the table that Minghao’s near, completely captivating everybody’s attention like always.

Jun catches this quiet glance and, unfortunately for Wonwoo, doesn’t let it go unnoticed.

“Ohhhh, so _I’m_ the only one with the unrequited love, huh?”

Wonwoo rolls his eyes and goes back to solving his equations. He had already done all of his homework due for this week and was trying to keep himself busy by getting a head start on next week’s assignments. The class wasn’t even difficult for him, and at times he even found it quite mundane if he had to be honest. But still, it beat having to endure whatever conversation Jun was about to strike up for the thousandth time.

“Won, it’s senior year. I have a very valid reason for never talking to Minghao again in my life and that’s because 1, I’m the nobody transfer student with no friends-“

Wonwoo turns and glares at him. He signs aggressively with one hand.

_No friends? Who am I to you?_

“A pain in my ass.” Before Wonwoo has a chance to rebuttal, Jun continues on, placing a hand on the other’s shoulder and pointing to the other end of the cafeteria. “And 2, you know how Minghao is. He’s unapologetically himself and there’s no way in _hell_ he would ever sugarcoat a conversation. Do I love him for that? Of course. But will a rejection by him send me spiraling into a coma from embarrassment? Most definitely.”

Wonwoo wants to find it in himself to disagree with his idiotic friend’s fear but he really can’t. One time he had seen Minghao fight a teacher so passionately about his grade that he was able to turn his high D into a low B. And the teacher he was fighting was his English teacher.

On their chapter about _debate_.

“So while I have the genuine fear of getting rejected for even asking him what the time is, your fears have zero legs to stand on. Mingyu has got to be the nicest guy on the planet. One time I saw him walk a freshman to all of his classes on his first day just because he wanted to. He’s the literal definition of a gentle giant.”

Wonwoo stays silent, taking in all of Jun’s words that he knows are true. Still, it doesn’t mean he wants to admit it. He doodles on the top of his looseleaf paper, focusing his attention on anything but looking over at his crush.

“You know he would love to talk to you if you’d just get it through-“ Jun places a finger on Wonwoo’s forehead and pokes him lightly. “your thick skull.”

Wonwoo whips his head towards him, dropping his pencil in annoyance.

_But you know that he doesn’t know how to sign._

Jun shrugs, looking back over at the table across the room. Minghao’s autumn red hairis catching the direct sunlight from one of the windows near him, causing a fire to bloom inside of Jun’s chest.

“I mean, Mingyu could learn. He’s the definition of a himbo but the guy’s still smart. And besides, you could always text. This isn’t the 90’s, you know.”

_Whatever._

Jun smiles softly, nudging his best friend in the shoulder lightly. Wonwoo goes back to doing his homework while Jun glances at Minghao for much longer than what’s deemed socially acceptable.

Everything about him was just so… well there really weren’t enough words to describe him. Jun only had one class with him last year but there were a few things he had picked up about the other boy. Like the way he carefully crafted his makeup every day to look like the perfect balance of messy and calculated, using splashes of color on his eyelids to match with whatever outfit he had sported that day. The way he always smelled like lavender when he would pass his table, the fragrance rolling off of him in waves. Even back when Jun didn’t have his heightened abilities he was able to smell it from the other end of the room. Jun also picked up on the way that Minghao would never pay attention in biology. Okay that one wasn’t really a secret observation made on his part, but one day Jun was passing back lab reports and saw the unmistakeable “6/20, see me after class” written in dark red marker on the top of the other boy’s paper. But Minghao wasn’t “stupid.” He was nowhere near it. Jun saw it in the way he would always be nose deep in some history book during class, absorbing his attention fully. He just didn’t care about biology, and Jun couldn’t blame him for that.

Minghao was one of a kind. Most people were either terrified of him and wouldn’t dare make eye contact with the boy’s hawk-like eyes, or they adored him completely. Sometimes Jun wonders how Minghao fits in with Mingyu’s group of football team members since the two seem to be polar opposites, like oil and water. But still somehow the two seem to make it work.

A tap on his shoulder brings him out his thoughts again, abandoning his view on Minghao to focus on Wonwoo.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Wonwoo shifts a bit, moving a bit more back so his hands have room to sign.

_So you know how your birthday is coming up?_

Jun immediately groans and rolls his head back.

“No no no _please_ don’t tell me you got me anything for my birthday. I really don’t need-“

Wonwoo huffs out an exasperated sigh.

_Shut up, of course I got you something. Well, I guess not technically_ got.

Jun sits and stares at him with a confused expression, waiting for the other to elaborate. After a few moments of suspense, Wonwoo hoists his book bag onto his lap and unzips it for Jun to peer inside.

“Oh my god. You didn’t.”

Jun lets out a tiny squeal, immediately slapping a hand over his mouth and looking around sheepishly. Luckily the cafeteria is too noisy for anybody to have noticed anyways, and Jun looks back down into the book bag, slowly running his hand over the material.

“How- I. Oh my god, Won. You really made it?”

Wonwoo shifts his book bag so that it’s now placed onto Jun’s lap. Jun would take out the costume to admire it in all its beauty but unfortunately a bright red and blue suit is bound to raise some suspicion, even in a cafeteria full of clueless idiotic teenagers.

_I was working on it all summer when I was away in Vermont with my mom. I designed it so that it should be snug enough on your body to reducewind resistance but not so tight that it’d suffocate your balls off. I even stitched a little spider logo in the middle of the chest._

Jun whines slightly at that.

“Spider? Seriously? When are you going to let that go?” Jun groans. “ _Spiderman_ is most definitely not a cool name even if I did get bit by a spider. It doesn’t even have a good ring to it. _Spiderman._ What am I going to save you from annoying flies?”

Wonwoo furrows his eyebrows.

_Well do you want the suit or not?_

Jun sighs, an obvious smile creeping on his face, and he wraps his best friend up in his arms, squeezing him a little tighter than he intends. He’s still not fully adjusted to his abilities yet so it kind of makes situations like this a little more awkward.

“I love it. Thank you, Won. Best present ever.”

Wonwoo shoos him away, not being one for much physical affection. Jun runs his hand over the smooth material once more, admiring its craftsmanship. Wonwoo must have literally worked on this for the entire summer to get the detailing this right. A feeling of pride and admiration fills him.

“I’m going to try this out tonight for sure.”

He stuffs the suit back into the bag and places it on the floor. Checking the time and realizing there’s still four minutes left of lunch, Jun places his head on his hand once again, allowing himself to let his gaze wander towards Minghao for just a couple minutes longer.

_No, no, no. Mint chocolate chip is the worst ice cream flavor._

_No it’s not!_

_Yes it is!_

_Is not!!_

_Is too!!!_

Jun quietly glances between the two of them while taking tiny bites from his vanilla ice cream cup. He’s sitting cross legged on his bed and looks down at the 8 year old, who is totally justified for having such an immature conversation, and his 17 year old best friend, who is far too old to be defending an ice cream that literally tastes like toothpaste with such passion. The debate gets so intense that the both of them are forced to put down their cups in order to properly communicate with the right amount of emotion.

It’s stupid moments like these that Jun doesn’t know what he’d do without Wonwoo.

He remember vividly meeting the other on his second day of school. They probably would have met on Jun’s first day but he was so busy figuring out where his classes were and finishing paperwork in the office that he had barely made it to the cafeteria before his lunch period had ended. But on the second day he found himself standing alone at the door of the cafeteria, lunch bag in hand and anxiety sky high.

Even back at his old school in San Fransisco he had never been this nervous. Sure, there were still some imbecile peers who go to the grave insisting that high school were the best years of their life. They’d much rather blow their brains out than bear one conversation with Jun, but that was to be expected when all Jun wanted to talk about was either Star Wars or the scientific possibilities of alternate realities and dimensions. Or House Hunters. Jun could literally sit on the couch and watch that show for an entire fucking weekend without getting bored. And he has. But he’s yet to find anybody else his age who’s even heard of it so he refrains from sharing that passion out loud.

But there, standing in a room filled with 200+ teenagers, terrified him more than he had wanted to admit. This was before he even gained his abilities so there was nothing in him that made him feel special, that he was worth anybody taking the time to get to know anyways. Sighing in defeat, Jun had decided he’d much rather keep his head low and be a loner for his last two years of high school than to stupidly try and infiltrate the already established friend groups and cliques that existed. Who would want to be friends with the transfer student, anyways?

He had grabbed a table at the furthest end of the room next to a massive window. It had a breathtaking view of the city, slowly causing Jun to fall in love with his new town even more. Jun had already decided that he wouldn’t have minded sitting alone and watching the people below him pass by, little ants on their way to and from work.

But about a minute later he realized he wasn’t alone when a tall body plopped down stiffly next to him on the bench, a little over three feet away. He had turned and looked curiously at the boy with raven hair, dressed in varying shades of black and dark blues, with rimmed glasses perched high on his nose.

He had expected the other to at least acknowledge him, maybe a small “hi” or head nod, or at the very least a “you’re sitting in my seat get the fuck out.” But none of those things had happened, and instead the other took out a book and started reading quietly.

Jun had a mental debate about whether or not he should try and make just one friend, just one person to maybe, possibly, hopefully understand him in a sense. But losing confidence quickly like he usually does, he was almost going to decide against it, settling for looking out the window alone for another two years. That was until his inner Jeonghan voice had pestered him to try and talk to the boy. God his inner Jeonghan was so fucking _annoying_ because he knew it was always right.

Turning with what shrivel of confidence he had left, Jun smiled and tried his very best.

“Hi, I’m Jun. I just transferred here.”

Jun had expected some kind of reaction, whether it be sympathetic or confused or downright rude. But no. Instead the raven haired boy hadn’t reacted at all. He just simply looked up at Jun, scanned his face briefly, blinked, then turned back towards his book.

Jun had paused for a moment, unsure of what to do. Did the other boy hear him? Well of course he fucking heard him otherwise he wouldn’t have looked up straight into his eyes. Should Jun say something again? Would it be worse to try and force the other to acknowledge his presence? But obviously the boy hadn’t said anything to him for a reason, and the mortification came crawling up Jun’s neck to his bloom onto his cheeks.

Shaking his head and muttering to himself, Jun had let out a quick “sorry” and turned his attention back toward the window, scolding his inner Jeonghan for putting him in such an embarrassing situation. He tried to distract himself by tapping his fingers anxiously on the table while scooting closer to the window. He silently observed the cars passing on the street below, deciding to count how many red cars he sees like he would do with Chan whenever he walked him home from school. The only problem is it’s pretty fucking hard to spot any red cars since New York is littered with only taxis. Still, Jun is determined and is just about to count red car number 2 when he feels a tap on his shoulder.

Startled and then immediately embarrassed all over again, he turned towards the quiet boy with a confused look on his face. The raven haired boy shyly lifted up the frames of his glasses and slipped a piece of paper between Jun’s fingers before quickly turning back to his book and pretending the whole ordeal didn’t happen.

Jun hesitantly picked up the piece of paper to find sloppily written in the center

_I’m mute_

He placed the piece of paper back on the table, soundlessly taking in the boy next to him. The other seemed to be cool and collected by his facial expression, but the trembling of his hands gave away just how nervous he was. He’d be surprised if the other was able to make out any of the words on the page with the way his book was shaking. It reminded him a lot of Chan when he got nervous, the way his little hands would get clammy and shake during his anxiety attacks, and immediately made his heart hurt.

Quietly placing a hand on the other’s shoulder to get his attention, Jun waited to make sure Wonwoo’s eyes were on him before he slowly signed.

_Do you speak sign language?_

The other boy’s eyes had widened to the size of two golf balls as he dropped his book immediately, his hand tremors quickly picking up from the excitement of the moment. He stared at Jun for a moment in disbelief, lips slightly parted, before hesitantly signing.

_Yeah. You speak sign language, too?_

Jun had nodded slowly, not being able to help the smile that spread over his lips.

_Yeah. My brother’s deaf so I’ve been signing ever since I was like 9 years old._

The boy continued to stare at him in disbelief, like Jun had just told him that he speaks twenty languages instead of just the one. Jun couldn’t help but to laugh a bit, finding the situation slightly funny but also a bit heartbreaking. Had this boy really never met anybody in his life who could communicate to him through sign language? The thought alone made Jun a bit bitter of the stigma he saw far too many times through Chan’s own experiences.

Wonwoo shifted excitedly in his seat suddenly looking a bit more sheepish.

_That’s cool. I’ve been mute ever since I was four because of an illness I had as a baby. So I’ve been signing all my life._

Jun let a frown slip from his lips, feeling a twang of sadness in his chest for the other boy. He had become mute so young that he must not even have remembered the sound of his own voice. Then again, Chan had never been able to hear his own voice either and he’s doing pretty well all things considering, so maybe hearing yourself is overrated anyways. That’s definitely what Jun thinks every time he has to hear his own voice played back to him on tape. Yuck.

He takes in the other boy’s face, the slight mist of tears evident behind is circular glasses which has Jun’s heart breaking all over again.

“I’m Jun, by the way,” the teen says to try and break from the intensity of the moment.

_Hi, Jun. I’m Wonwoo._

In all honesty, Jun doesn’t really know what Chan would do without Wonwoo, either. He’s about the only friend the young boy has been able to make so far seeing as nobody else in his life knows sign language and that he’s been home schooled for the past year. Even Jeonghan and Seungcheol are still trying to learn the language, and are doing a pretty good job in Jun’s opinion, but a year can only take you so far besides basic conversations. So besides Jun and Wonwoo, Chan’s only other choice of a best friend was his teacher. And from what Jun’s heard from his brother, Mr. Johnson doesn’t like dogs enough to be his friend. It’s kind of a particular requirement for somebody to have in a best friend, but in a way Jun gets it.

So seeing the two of them bickering on his bedroom floor over something as stupid as mint chocolate ice cream causes a flower to bloom in his chest, thanking whatever higher power there may be that although his life has been shitty so far, there are little moments like this to hold on to.

Dinner doesn’t go as smoothly as the rest of Jun’s day had.

After Seungcheol’s mini disaster of a breakfast that morning, Jeonghan gave him a one week ban on using any appliances in the kitchen. His boyfriend was strictly forbidden to make anything besides cereal and toast without close supervision. Even the toast was a stretch, if Jun was being honest. So Seungcheol had to sit quietly on the kitchen chair with puppy eyes while Jeonghan made dinner; lasagna and garlic bread. Not so coincidently, this also happened to be one of Chan’s favorite dinners.

So they eat while scattered around the living room, Jeonghan and Chan up on the couch and Jun and Seungcheol sitting comfortably at opposite ends of the coffee table. Their family was never one of the traditional “setting the table, making sure everybody was seated before eating” kind of families. It just wouldn’t work with them. But Jeonghan does make a special effort to take these parts of the day to talk with his youngest nephew the most.

Jeonghan carefully sets his plate on his lap before thinking of the words he wants to sign. His vocabulary is still very limited, and Seungcheol struggles even more to remember the signs, but at least they’re both trying which is more than enough.

_How was school today?_

Jeonghan says the words out loud slowly as he signs, a habit he picked up early when he first started learning so that Jun would be able to hear and sign the words he didn’t know yet.

Chan sighs and lets out a little shrug while picking at the cheese on his plate. Even his favorite meal wasn’t enough to make him feel completely better from his first day.

_It was okay._

Jeonghan gives Jun and Seungcheol a quick and quiet glance, a sort of look that exposes he has absolutely no idea what else to say.

“It’s okay, babe. Just ask him more about his day.” Seungcheol softly whispers which Jun finds kind of cute seeing that Chan still has his eyes locked on his lasagna and wouldn’t be able to hear him anyways.

Jeonghan grabs Chan’s attention once again and signs slowly while saying the words out loud.

_Did you do anything fun? Did you meet any new friends?_

At this, Chan’s eyes immediately begin to water. He clanks his plate loudly against the wooden table, causing everybody else in the room to stiffen immediately. The boy stands up abruptly from the couch, fists shaking angrily at his sides. Jeonghan sets his plate on the table and is about to reach for the boy when Chan takes a large step back, a wounded noise escaping from Jeonghan’s lips as he does.

_I don’t want to talk about it!_

The young boy wipes his tears away with the sleeve of his sweater, and Seungcheol tries to reach for him at his side but Chan takes that as his queue to leave. He takes off down the hallway and into him and Jun’s room, slamming the door loudly while leaving the rest of them in silence.

It’s still for a few moments, so still that Jun’s unable able to even chew the food in his mouth without breaking the silence. Then Jeonghan’s composure shatters and his head falls into his hands, sobs wrecking his entire body. In an instant Seungcheol is at his side on the couch, forcing the younger to lean on his shoulder while carding his hair softly. Jeonghan just cries while fisting his boyfriend’s shirt in his hands. Jun doesn’t know what to say in the moment so he looks down at his plate instead and eats in silence though his appetite is long gone.

After a couple of minutes of Seungcheol trying to calmly hush Jeonghan’s cries, the younger gets his voice back enough to be able to speak through hiccuping sobs.

“I fucked up s-so bad. I shouldn’t have asked him a-about friends so soon and I _know_ he-he’s so stressed out so why would I-“

Jeonghan’s sobs become fervent again, prohibiting him from finishing his sentence. Jun watches with a heavy heart as Seungcheol gives him soft pecks on his cheeks, kissing away the salty tears.

“Babe, it’s not your fault. How could you have known he would have reacted like that?” Seungcheol coos softly in a warm tone, still running his hand through Jeonghan’s fluffy brown hair.

“He’s right, Jeonghan. It’s not your fault. He’s going through a lot right now but that doesn’t mean his outburst is your fault,” Jun tries to reason.

Jeonghan just solemnly nods, but Jun knows he won’t take their words to heart and will always end up blaming himself. That’s just the way Jeonghan is. He cares too much about others, even if he doesn’t show it in a loving way all the time. In many ways his little fits of nagging and annoyance is surprisingly when he indicates that he cares the most. Or in the way he’ll practice sign language with Seungcheol and Jun to perfect a stupid joke he knows Chan will find hilarious. Jeonghan cares a lot, and in moments like these it weighs on his uncle’s heart so heavily that Jun’s abilities can just sense it stronger than he ever would have before.

They sit for a while longer, nobody saying anything and letting the unsaid feeling of heaviness weigh on all of their chests for the rest of dinner.

Chan’s never been able to stay upset for very long, a trait Jun has always found endearing about his younger brother. So by the time Jun had calmed him down from his episode at dinner and built some legos with him on their bedroom floor together, everything was back to normal.

After Jeonghan had come in and made sure his youngest nephew was safely asleep inbed, he ordered Jun to turn off the lights and head to sleep soon too. And of course like the perfect little nephew he was, Jun told him he would.

And it wasn’t completely a lie. He did turn off the lights.

But instead of being tucked warmly in his bed, he was perched on top of an apartment building on 42nd street, taking in the view of the streets below and the lights that littered the city.

Sorry Uncle Jeonghan.

Wonwoo’s suit had been made better than Jun thinks he ever would have been able to create himself. While Jun’s speciality lied more within the chemical realm like the webs he was able to create that allow him to swing from heights, Wonwoo’s speciality was physics. This, along with his rich ass dad buying him anything he wants as a form of a half ass apology for always being away on business trips, allowed for him to get the materials needed to make the suit that the two had been talking about ever since Jun had gained his abilities. A suit that would disguise him perfectly, allow him to fly through the air with no drag, and look pretty fucking cool, too.

Jun skims his hand over the red and blue material, admiring the way it shapes around his arms and torso. He then takes the mask in his hands and gently tugs it over his head, allowing it shrink around his face to fit perfectly.

He stands up and clears his throat, taking one last look over the city. Jun lines his feet up at the end of the ledge.

“Here goes nothing.”

Spinning around and falling back first, he takes a moment to notice his body free falling. Like time has stopped completely. He notices the way the wind wraps around him and cradles him. He notices the way the sky above him looks so stunning, slowly slipping further and further from his reach as he plummets like a meteor towards the earth.

But unlike the meteor that wiped out all of the dinosaurs (which Jun thinks would have been so _awesome_ to have around nowadays), he doesn’t hit the earth.

Instead, he shoots his web up just as he’s about to hit the ground and swings.

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he hoists himself up, performing acrobatic tricks for only the stars to witness on this autumn night. Like a monkey he glides between the buildings with ease, admiring the way his suit allows him to whip through the air even faster than before.

An entire block only takes about a couple seconds to blow through, so before he knows it he’s nearly on the other side of Queens.

Jun swiftly lands on the ground, somersaulting to break his fall in an abandoned alley. He pulls out his phone from the back pocket Wonwoo designed (yeah has he mentioned yet that this suit is fucking sick?) to quickly text his best friend about how well the suit works. Before he’s able to get halfway through his text, he hears car doors slam somewhere from down the alley, alerting his attention immediately.

He stays still for a moment, unsure if he should check out to see why somebody parked their car in a back alley. It’s not typical for somebody to park there, especially not this time of night. Ever since he gained his abilities, Jun takes every chance he can get at stopping some petty crime. Okay maybe the most he was able to stop was a kid stealing another kids bike but he still likes to call that a success.

Except for the fact that it was actually the kid’s own bike and he had just lost his keys to his chain. But still, _if_ it had been a robber then it definitely would have been a success.

But right now his senses are off. He still isn’t completely accustomed to them yet but they’re definitely telling him that there was just something _off._

Trusting his instincts, Jun pockets his phone and creeps closely against the brick wall and out of the dim lights to follow the sound of voices on the other end of the alley.

When he reaches the end he sees two white vans, both of their back doors opened and facing each other. In the middle are four men, two on each side, discussing something that Jun can’t quite make out. Closing his eyes and focusing his senses, he’s able to pick up more on what they’re saying.

“Yeah, these parts are definitely going to get the job done. The biggest fucking bang you’ll ever see. We can deliver more to you guys here next week.”

“Alright, cool. But I’m just trying to warn you, if these parts aren’t able to get the job done then you’re going to have to take it up with my boss. He calls the shots, not me.”

Jun furrows his eyebrows, unsure of the exact context of the conversation taking place.

“We need all the parts by the 17th of this month so we can get the device operating in time for the event.”

Event? What event? And what device could possibly need four of the shadiest men Jun thinks he’s ever seen in his life to trade for in the back alley at 1 in the morning?

His senses tell him it’s nothing good.

“Okay, we’ll be back with the next shipment in three days. Same spot.”

Jun’s trying to process the whole ordeal when he hears feet shuffling back towards their respective cars. He presses himself closer to the wall with bated breath and waits for the men to take off into the almost dead streets of New York.

What event are they talking about? And who’s their boss? A part of Jun wants to ignore it, pretend that he never heard it any of it. Nobody was there to even witness him, right? Technically he didn’t hear a thing at all.

But a bigger part of Jun knows deep down that this is something big. Bigger than a senior in high school in a spider suit costume with a Spanish test the next day.

Fuck, that reminds Jun that he needed to study for his test.

He quickly makes his way back home, battling with himself about what he should do. He figures if anybody would be able to give good advice and could keep a secret better than anybody else in this world, it was Wonwoo.

Once he reaches his bedroom window, Jun gently slips it open and sneaks inside. Just because Chan wouldn’t wake up to his rummaging around doesn’t mean that Jeonghan wouldn’t.

Jun slips out of his suit, stuffing it deep in his book bag so that Chan doesn’t accidentally find it, and pulls on a pair of sweatpants and a loose fitting tee. The covers of his bed wrap around him snuggly, telling him it’s alright to fall into a deep sleep, but he struggles closing his eyes and calming his mind. Something about the whole interaction he had witnessed isn’t sitting right with him, and it’s gnawing away at his stomach. Eventually deciding that this is a problem better suited for tomorrow-Jun, he falls asleep reciting Spanish conjugations and hopes that he’ll be able to pass his test the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! yeah i'm back with an update on the second day. CRAZY ikr but i just really didn't want to do any homework. this week probably won't be kind to me and i'll have a lot of projects due but i'm hoping that next weekend will allow me to unwind and write some more :))))))
> 
> so this chapter was mostly giving wonwoo's back story so their friendship makes a little more sense. sorry if it's written kind of awkward :/ but i promise more hao will be coming VERY soon. i love him too much not to. also if it's not painfully obvious i don't live in new york or san francisco and have literally zero idea what i'm talking about so if you're from either of those places you have full permission to slap me on the wrist.
> 
> ALSO!!!!!!!!!!!! i just watched the drama color rush and oh my god if you think i'm NOT going to write a meanie version of that drama????? you're dead wrong because i am. i want to get further in this one tho because i don't want to abandon this bb so be patient and wait for it BUT i really really want to write it, and pls lmk if you'd want to read it as well! and if you haven't watched the drama yet i really recommend you do because you can find it for fr*e on dr*macool (oh my god who said that i would never promote ill*gal streaming what!!)
> 
> but yeah! i'd love to hear your thoughts about the story so far.
> 
> have a good and safe week guys! see you soon :)


	3. Chapter 3

It was much more difficult than Jun had planned it would be to convince Wonwoo about what he had heard in the alley just a couple of nights before.

His best friend had always been the textbook definition of a sceptic. It explained why Wonwoo loved physics and math so much, stating in his own words, “numbers and facts have never let me down.” He was the type of person who rewinded a magician on T.V. until he figured out exactly how they executed their trick, and if he couldn’t figure it out himself then he’d just look up an article explaining it. The same kind of sceptic who literally refuses to knock on wood, convinced that it does more harm to the human psyche than good. The same guy who didn’t believe that Jun was able to crawl on the ceiling due to his newly gained powers until he saw it with his own eyes (okay honestly Jun could understand why he was hesitant on that one but still.)

So when Jun had told him passionately about what had happened in the back alley on the opposite end of Queens, Wonwoo just told him that he had been watching too many crime movies.

And technically he had seen _Goodfellas_ 47 times so it wasn’t necessarily a _lie_ but still, not the point.

To save Jun’s pride and to prove that he was, in fact, not insane and making up delusions in the real world, he had promised Wonwoo that he would be able to come back with concrete evidence. He had remembered that the men said they were going to meet in the same spot only three days after their first meeting. So doing what any other person would do to get the satisfaction of saying “I told you so,” he went back to the same spot on at that planned time and staked out the spot. All night.

And when Jun says he was there all night, he means he was quite literally there until the sun started peeking through the skylight and the aroma from hot dog vendors on every corner firing up their grills pervaded his nostrils.

Going back to school the next day had only left him with more questions than answers and an annoyingly boastful best friend signing “I told you so” for the entirety of the day.

But still, the men should have _been_ there. They guys were so adamant on getting whatever suspicious and highly dangerous parts they had to their buyers by a certain deadline. So why weren’t they there? What had changed so suddenly?

Unfortunately, Jun’s inability to provide Wonwoo with any more solid evidence beyond his own eyewitness account in a dark alley while wearing a tight mask had shot his chances of convincing his friend for help.

So once again, Jun is currently sitting in the back corner of their school’s cafeteria, pleading like a crazy man for his friend to believe he’s not, well, crazy.

“Won, you know I wouldn’t make shit like this up. I don’t think I could even if I tried. There’s something going on I just _feel_ it.”

His friend, whose patience has already been wearing thin this past week, looks up from his copy of _Brave New World_ to shoot him an unimpressed look.

_I don’t think you’re purposely trying to make it up. But I do think you saw what you wanted to see._

Jun shoots him a confused look. Annoyed, Wonwoo sets his novel down and gives the other a serious look.

_Look, I know that now that you have a suit and you have all of your cool abilities you want to help people, save people. And that’s fine. You’re kind of like a teenage version of Batman._

“Okay let me stop you right there. I am _nothing_ like Batman. If anything my abilities let me-“

Before Jun’s able to finish his sentence Wonwoo smacks him on the head, light enough to not hurt but hard enough to try and knock some sense into him. Rubbing his head angrily, Jun shuts up and listens in silence.

_You’re missing the point. I know you want to help people, but I think you’re making up things that are bigger than life. Maybe your mind just thought you saw something going on when it was really just two guys trading, I don’t know, maybe some equipment for a construction project._ _You said they were talking about an explosion, right? So maybe they’re just trying to blow up an old building or something._

Jun takes his friends’ words into consideration, not wanting to accept what he has to say but ultimately understanding where he’s coming from. Jun really had been obsessed with helping anybody he could with his abilities, spending many of his summer nights keeping watch over his streets and waiting for something bad to happen. He never _wished_ anything bad would happen per-say, but stopping a bank robbery or tangling up a car thief in one of his webs _definitely_ would have been cool.

But still, he knows what he heard that night. He knows what he _felt._ Something beyond his control is telling him that there’s something serious going on here, potentially a life or death kind of threat. And that’s something he can’t just ignore.

“Wonwoo.” Jun slowly states, his tone deadly serious. “I know what I saw. And I’m going to track these guys down with or without your help. So either you can use the scanner I know you have lying in your room to keep an ear out for any activity going on out of the police scanner frequencies, or you could potentially let hundreds, or even thousands, or possibly even _millions_ of people die.”

Jun smugly takes a bit from his apple.

“Up to you though, of course. No pressure.”

Wonwoo takes in his friend’s face, an unreadable expression prevailing. His eyes have always had the unnerving ability to make you feel like you should second guess yourself, that he always knows something that you don’t. Jun hates when he makes him feel exposed like that. But after a few beats of tension with the sounds of rowdy teenagers filling up their silence, Wonwoo sighs heavily and picks up his book again, singing dismissively with one hand.

_Fine._

Jun drops his apple on the floor, too busy wrapping Wonwoo in a hug to watch it roll away on the dirty cafeteria floor.

“You’ll help me? Really? Oh my god Won I love you so much thank you thank youthank you!”

Wonwoo tries his best to escape Jun’s vice grip but eventually just lets it happen when he realizes that struggling near a happy Jun is useless. Instead he just focuses his attention nose-deep into his book, slowly feeling all of the air escape his lungs.

Jun is far too busy closing his eyes while continuing to squeeze the life out of his best friend and Wonwoo is too nose deep into his book to realize the 6’2 boy approaching them.

“Hey! What’s up, guys?”

Both of them snap their eyes up to see the literal definition of a ray of sunshine standing directly in front of them, eyes softly noticing Jun’s arms wrapped tightly around the other. The taller boy just smiles softly, the light from the window illuminating the little strands of light brown hair on his head. It was so unfair the way he stood there like he had just stepped out of a Renaissance painting rather than a slimy cafeteria that always smelled like week old roast beef. That was probably because the roast beef _was_ that old.

Unable to process the situation at hand, Jun and Wonwoo sit like deer caught in headlights, every muscle and nerve in their bodies frozen from Mingyu’s gaze.

Wonwoo’s mind must process the situation just a little bit quicker, though, because he’s already shoving his friend off of his shoulders before Jun has the sense to realize what’s going on. In an instant, Wonwoo is scooting as far away as possible from the other in embarrassment from the physical contact with trembling hands and pink cheeks.

Mingyu doesn’t seem phased by it, though, and instead politely points to the empty bench in front of them.

“May I?”

Jun, being far too confused to answer, and Wonwoo, being far too embarrassed to answer, both hesitantly shake nod their head yes.

“Awesome, thanks.”

The taller boy sits down promptly, his straight posture and his polite smile taking Jun aback. If Jun was experiencing some butterflies in his stomach right now from Mingyu when he didn’t even have a crush on him, he truly couldn’t imagine the absolute beehive that must be going insane inside Wonwoo’s own. The boy opposite from them is oozing confidence, a stark contrast from the two other boys who wouldn’t know confidence if they were staring straight at it. Though, right now, they kind of are in a way.

Mingyu sets his clipboard softly on the cafeteria table, his large hands splaying over it. It almost covers the entire goddamn page.

“So, you guys may or may not know but I’m actually the head of the homecoming committee this year!”

Football captain _and_ head of the homecoming committee? Not to mention also the founder of the school’s Blood Drive initiative. And the president of Students for Change. And also the school’s Vice President. And probably a million other fucking things Jun hadn’t even heard of. God this kid was really a walking college resume.

“And,” Mingyu continues, “I’ve been trying to get more people to sign up and help us out! It’s completely optional so don’t feel like you guys have to, but it would really-“

“We’ll do it!”

All eyes turn to Jun, Mingyu’s squinting in delight and Wonwoo’s bulging in horror. Jun keeps his eyes fixed on the boy across from him and smiles smugly, trying not to let his face show the absolute torture his foot is experiencing from Wonwoo’s heel at the moment.

“Really? Oh my god guys that’d be so awesome if you guys could.”

Wonwoo’s heel digs even deeper into the top of Jun’s foot. At this rate Wonwoo better give it up or he’ll be the one paying for his bone reconstruction surgery.

Mingyu’s eyes then shift to Wonwoo who’s still boring his own gaze into the side of Jun’s skull.

“Um, Wonwoo?” he questions tentatively. “Are you sure you want to do it? You really don’t have to, it’s okay.”

Wonwoo turns to him, the shock of the other knowing his name evident on his face. His disbelief renders him motionless for a couple of moments. Quickly, he turns back to his best friend and argues silently in a rapid fire of back and forth.

_I’m not joining the committee._

_Oh come on, you know you have nothing better to do. Your lego reconstruction of the Death Star can wait._

_But I can’t be around him!_

_Why? Because you’re worried that he might actually show an interest in you and you two will hit it off? There’s literally no better opportunity-_

_But I don’t want-_

_Well I dont care you’re-_

_There’s no way I’m doing-_

_Oh yes you are-_

“Um, guys?”

Both of the boys stop with their hands in midair, completely forgetting Mingyu whose tapping his fingers nervously on his clip board.

“Really, it’s not a big deal if you don’t-“

“No! We both want to. He was just signing about his mom needing him after school but forgot that she actually didn’t anymore so he has every day free. Right, Wonwoo?” Jun states more than asks.

Another blow hits Jun’s already numb foot. A yelp almost escaped his lips but he’s able to quickly disguise it as a smile. Judging from Mingyu’s skeptical expression, though, it must look more like a grimace than a grin.

But Mingyu being Mingyu beams again in an instant, contagiously spreading his aura to the other two boys.

“Well that’s great! If you could just sign your names here and put your phone numbers I’ll send you all the information by next week!”

Jun grabs the pen out of Mingyu’s hand before Wonwoo gets the chance to and jots both of them down, remembering his best friend’s number by heart since he had a flip phone for the entirety of junior year. Their conversations weren’t really that interesting anyways seeing that Jun was the one doing all of the talking but they still had made it work.

Once Jun slides the clipboard back across the table, Mingyu flashes him a grateful smile.

“Thank you guys again! I’ll see you soon.”

As soon as Mingyu’s back turns on the two of them, Wonwoo slaps Jun harshly on the chest, the pain in his foot already being traded for a new one.

“Ow!” Jun whines pathetically, rubbing his chest in agony. “Don’t be a dick. You know you’ll end up thanking me later when you and Mingyu are texting _all. night. long._ ”

Wonwoo lands another slap on his chest for the immature insinuation (yeah maybe Jun deserved that one) and picks up his book again, ignoring Jun for the entirety of lunch.

Later that night long after they all had shared dinner (which went a lot more smoothly than their other dinner just a few days prior), Jun’s laying in his bed, his mind racing like it normally does. He stares at his ceiling, watching the way the street lamp outside of his bedroom window casts a sinister shadow above him. The lamp sways a bit due to the autumn wind, making the silhouettes above him dance in an eerie manner. The shadows sway back and forth, back and forth, hypnotizing him and trying to ease his mind.

He hasn’t been able to stop thinking all day about the men with the vans, the feeling that they’re up to something awful unshakable in his core. It’s already been an hour since Wonwoo texted him that he hadn’t heard anything on the scanner that night and that he was going to bed. Jun was still appreciative that he had still been willing to help him after the stunt he pulled at lunch so he wasn’t going to push his luck.

He pulls out his phone from under his pillow.

_12:47_

Maybe Jun would just slip out for a bit and check to see if they men could be anywhere nearby. Just a quick little sweep of the city, ten minutes tops. Yeah, that would ease his mind. In all honesty, he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep that night without doing so.

But before Jun’s able to move another muscle he hears something. Well, at least he thinks he hears something. It sounds like it’s coming from somewhere far away but simultaneously too close for comfort. He sits up slowly, scanning the bedroom to see Chan on the other side sleeping soundly in his own bed, his little snores making it clear that it couldn’t be him causing the other noise.

Jun stays still again, closing his eyes and trying to focus all of his abilities on honing into that one sound. He willingly drowns out all of the other noises he hears, drowns out Chan’s slight snores, drowns out the passing of cars on the street below, drowns out the inhale and exhale of his own breath.

The sound grows louder.

And it sounds like somebody’s crying.

Jun gently rises from his bed, hesitantly creeping across his bedroom floor towards his door. He creaks it open slightly and stands at the frame, peering down the hallway to find the living room barely illuminated.

Jeonghan and Seungcheol were both usually in bed by 10:30 or so, and if Jeonghan had any work to finish up from earlier he usually just did it on his laptop in the bedroom. So, naturally, this was cause for concern.

Softly and slowly, Jun makes his way down the hallway to hear the ever growing sound of muffled sobs. He stands with his back against the wall, quietly listening with a heavy heart to the sound of somebody stifling their own pain. A part of him doesn’t want to go in, and he knows that what he’ll find will probably end up shattering him into tiny bits of broken glass on the living room floor. That was the selfish part of him that didn’t want to enter the room. But the bigger part of him knew that he had to.

Jun slowly turns his head around and peeks into the area, scanning the dimly lit room for any signs of where the noise could be coming from. He’s almost convinced that the room is empty until his eyes land on the tiny shape of a body huddled on the couch, rocking back and forth while trembling.

In that moment, Jun’s heart feels so heavy that he knows he could sink right into the floor.

He makes his way slowly towards the back of the couch, careful to not scare the gentle creature balled up in a fetal position. His eyes scan over his young uncle, the other’s face too far deep in a pillow to acknowledge the younger’s presence. Jun’s eyes then land on the coffee table, observing an empty bottle of red wine and several tissues littered on the ground.

Jun frowns, the ache in his chest growing exponentially faster. His uncle was never the kind to drink, maybe sparing an occasional bottle of beer here and there but nothing past that. Jun honestly has no idea how he was able to meet Seungcheol in a college setting seeing that the older could down a whole case of Coors Light without batting an eye. Seungcheol has definitely calmed down significantly since his fraternity days at Boston College, but Jun still knows that he could kick anybody’s ass in a drinking competition with minimal effort.

But Jeonghan, on the other hand. That was a completely different story. In the entire year that Jun has been living with him, he’s only seen Jeonghan drink a handful of times. The only other time he had remembered the other “drunk” was the night of his mother’s funeral, the stress of seeing his only sister’s cast being lowered too much to handle without the use of something strong. And Jun couldn’t blame him for that. Not at all.

So if anybody else had been huddled on their couch, drunk and tired and emotional, it probably wouldn’t have been such a big deal. But Jun knew his uncle, and he knew that this ran much deeper than a surface level.

Jun takes a deep breath before whispering, his voice just loud enough to be audible over the other’s weeping.

“Uncle Jeonghan?”

Immediately the body on the couch tenses. His uncle’s muscles aren’t trembling anymore, far too stiff for him to allow for it, but the sobs can’t help but continue to pour from his lips. They fill the silence of the room, a haunting moment that suffocates Jun.

Jeonghan slowly sits up, sniffling and wiping his nose with the sleeve of his sweater. He was wearing his purple fuzzy sweater, the one Seungcheol had bought him after he wouldn’t shut up about Zendaya having the same exact one. His favorite sweater.

The older peers up at Jun, his bloodshot eyes still stained with small pools of water. He quickly tries to blink away his tears at a half ass attempt of making it look like he hadn’t been crying at all, and for his uncle’s sake Jun pretends they weren’t there either.

“Jun? What are you doing up?” Jeonghan questions, his voice a bit hoarse. He reaches for his phone realizing that it’s nearly one in the morning. “It’s late, hon.”

Jun shrugs, making his way around the couch to sit on the opposite end as his uncle. “Couldn’t sleep.”

Jeonghan hums in understanding, swaying a bit with his eyes unfocused on the floor beneath his feet. Jun feels awful to see him in such a vulnerable state. He wants to reach out and hug him but he knows that his uncle would be far too embarrassed right now to receive that kind of affection from him. So instead he stays on his end of the couch, nervously spinning his finger around the hem of his shirt with an aching chest and a tight throat.

It’s silent for a couple of minutes, apart from the occasional sniffle the older elicits, while his uncle drowsily looks at anywhere in the room except for Jun. Out of nowhere, Jeonghan’s strained voice fills the air.

“Am I a good uncle?”

Jun’s heart breaks more than he ever thought was possible. He feels it leap out of his chest and hit the wall at full force, bleeding out and shattering onto the wooden floor.

He’s never seen his uncle so unsure about himself before and Jun’s not sure what to make of it. Jeonghan has always the type of person that was confident in his abilities to do damn near anything. It’s probably the thing Jun admires about him the most. His own mother was like that, too. It must have skipped a generation, though, because Jun was anything but confident. But not Jeonghan.

Jeonghan was able to repair their kitchen drain the other month with nothing more than some appliances he had picked up at the hardware store and ample instructional Youtube videos. Seungcheol had just insisted that they call the landlord to do it since it was quite literally his job to fix problems like that, but Jeonghan refused. He was unwaveringly confident he’d be able to do it on his own. And he did.

That was just the kind of person he was. He knew what he was doing, and if he didn’t then he sure as hell made everybody else believe he did.

But seeing him now, looking so delicate and vulnerable on the couch with flushed cheeks and swollen eyes, Jun wonders how much of it has been an act this entire time.

“Of course you’re a good uncle, Jeonghan.”

The other lets a cynical huff of laughter fall from his lips, one that tells Jun that his words are about as believable as Chan waking up the next day being able to hear.

Jeonghan wipes his nose again, turning to face Jun while his eyes unsteadily try to focus on his nephew’s. He sees him have to steady himself on the couch.

“Well if I was really such a good uncle then w-why did Chan’s teacher call me today and tell- tell me that he’s cried every day at school for over a week?”

Jun notices more tears starting to well in the other’s eyes, but before he’s able to comfort him with any words, Jeonghan interrupts.

“Because a good uncle would have known. A- a good uncle would have talked to Chan and ask him more about his day and just try to fucking _understand_ him and what he’s going through right now. A good uncle wou- would have known enough sign language by now to really communicate with him but I fucking _can’t!”_

At his final words Jeonghan abruptly stands up in frustration. Immediately losing his balance and hurtling his hands forward to stabilize himself, he ends up slamming them too harshly on the surface and knocks over his empty wine bottle in the process. Before Jun’s able to reach out and stop the foreseeable tragedy, the glass shatters on the floor, and scatters unpredictably around Jeonghan’s bare feet. Luckily none of the shards land on his foot, but the little drops of what was left of the red wine pool onto the glass, making it appear all the same.

Whatever dam his uncle’s eyes had been able to produce thus far come crashing down. Jeonghan rocks back down onto the couch and huddles his knees to his chest, head face down and tears spilling onto the knees of his sweatpants.

Immediately, rushed and heavy footsteps approach the living room. Out of the hallway springs Seungcheol, eyes wide and hair spiking in fifty different directions. The metal baseball bat in his right hand makes Jun feel sorry for the potential robber who would have had to meet his maker against Seungcheol, but the only real danger in the living room that night would be an open wound from shredded glass.

“What happened?” Seungcheol rushes out, eyes wildly scanning the room in attempt to find a threat that’s not there. His eyes finally land on the couch to see a crestfallen Jun and a sobbing Jeonghan. Seungcheol instantly lays the bat down at the living room frame and quickly rushes over.

“Careful,” Jun warns swiftly, alerting the older to the glass on the floor. Seungcheol carefully steps around it and maneuvers his way onto the couch to land right next to Jeonghan. Without a word, Seungcheol places his boyfriend so that he’s between his legs while the older’s back is leaning on an arm of the couch. Jeonghan, still quietly bawling, snuggles lazily into the warmth his boyfriend provides and places his head at the crook of his neck. His hand grabs a fistful of Seungcheol’s shirt, silently being lulled and hushed to sleep. Jun can’t do anything but watch, all the words that he would say if he could getting lodged in his throat.

Eventually, Seungcheol’s quiet whispers and gentle touches coax Jeonghan to sleep, his balled fist relaxing and his breath much more even and slower. Apparently it doesn’t take very much for a drunk Jeonghan to fall asleep.

After he’s sure that his uncle is asleep, Jun speaks up to break the silence.

“He was telling me something about not being a good uncle.”

Seungcheol looks at the younger boy, his eyes full of hurt, as he subconsciously holds his boyfriend closer to his chest. He runs another finger through Jeonghan’s hair, watching the way his baby curls slightly bounce as he releases them.

“He’s too hard on himself sometimes,” Seungcheol whispers, careful to not speak too loudly. Jeonghan’s pressed flush against his chest, and any vibrations from the other’s deep voice could risk waking him up again.

“Why would he think that though?” Jun can’t help but ask in a worried tone. “He said that Chan’s teacher told him that he was crying every day at school but how is Jeonghan supposed to know that?”

Seungcheol shrugs, unsure of the answer as well. Chan hadn’t told any of them about it. Whenever he’s asked about school he just signs “it’s fine” before growing cold and refusing to breach the subject further.

“He’s just hard on himself when it comes to you guys. I don’t know why he thinks he isn’t doing enough.” Seungcheol pauses, looking down and smiling softly to himself. “You should see how many articles he texts me every day about sign language and the benefits of learning it, even at our old ages.”

Jun can’t help but to laugh at that. Seungcheol laughs softly as well before continuing.

“You know, even when it’s just the two of us he tries to practice sign language wherever we go. You should have seen how excited he was to be able to practice with the woman selling us movie tickets one time. They talked for so long we almost ended up missing our movie.”

Seungcheol looks down at his boyfriend’s motionless body and plants a soft kiss to his forehead. “I’ve never seen anybody else so passionate about something in my life.”

Jun gazes at the two of them, all of his senses in him pulling at his aching heart. He can physically feel the love in the room in that moment. Feel the love that Seungcheol has for Jeonghan. Feels the love Jun has for the both of them. Feel the love that Jeonghan has for him and Chan. It’s so much love that Jun feels like he’s about to suffocate.

Before Jun can register it, he feels a tear slip down his own cheek and drip from his jaw onto the couch. Just one, silent tear, symbolizing all the love and hurt he feels in the moment, far too much to bottle up all inside.

If Seungcheol notices his tear he doesn’t say anything. Instead he softly holds Jeonghan tighter, closing his eyes and letting his love listen to the steady pounding of his own heart. Jun’s able to hear it from the other end of the couch, too.

Eyes still closed, Seungcheol takes a deep breath, rubbing circles onto Jeonghan’s back.

“He loves you both. _We_ love you both. So much.” Seungcheol professes softly, voice filled with undeniable emotion.

It only then strikes him in that moment how _young_ the both of them are. Seungcheol being 27 and Jeonghan being only 25 for a couple of more weeks. His uncle is barely eight years older than him, but the responsibility and suffering thrusted upon him spans far beyond his age. Jun tries to imagine himself in Jeonghan’s position. Being outcasted by your own parents at 18, your only sibling dying tragically and suddenly, and two nephews being placed on your doorstep, one of them being deaf. All by the age of 24.

Jun truly doesn’t know how he manages to carry all of that weight and responsibility while working full time from home and raising two boys (three if you count Seungcheol’s inability to remember to turn off the oven.)

He wants to tell Jeonghan he’s sorry. He’s sorry that the world has been so cruel and thrown him relentless punches for reasons beyond his control and that him just trying his best is more than enough. Jun wants his uncle to understand how much him Seungcheol and Chan _love him._

But Jun knows that none of those words would register with him now. Definitely not the emotional state he’s in. So instead he mentally decides that he’ll try and pick up some of Jeonghan’s favorite cookies from the bakery on their corner on the way home from school tomorrow. He’d probably also try to talk to Chan and convince him to make their uncle a handmade card. Jeonghan has always been a sucker for things like that.Although these little acts of love wouldn’t truly be able to convey all the things he wants Jeonghan to understand, but it’s the only way he can do it without embarrassing the other about what he had confessed to Jun tonight. There’s no way he would have ever told him what he had if he was sober, so it feels wrong for Jun to mention it again to the other without him saying something first.

So the three of them sit in the silence of the early morning hours a little longer until the only two ones awake can hardly keep their eyes opened any longer.

Seungcheol soundlessly and effortlessly scoops his boyfriend from his lap and into his arms, standing up while Jeonghan stirs. Far too drunk and sleepy to react, though, the younger simply snakes his arms around his boyfriend’s neck and wraps his legs around his torso, falling asleep again within seconds.

Jun carefully helps Seungcheol maneuver around the shards of glass, insisting he’ll be able to clean it himself before going to bed. Appreciatively, Seungcheol takes off with a sleeping Jeonghan in his arms down the hall and towards their bedroom.

Exhausted from the night’s events and the emotional toll it’s taken on all of them, Jun quickly but carefully scoops up the remaining glass in a dustpan and discards it in the trash. Luckily the bottle hadn’t broken into too many tiny pieces so it was relatively easy to manage damage control.

It doesn't take very long for Jun to fall asleep that night, the silhouettes on his ceiling dancing slowly to the sounds of cars passing by on the street and his own, slow breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i say it was going to be a while until the next chapter?? yes. did i lie?? yes!! surprise!
> 
> honestly it was a shock to me too (and sorry if my editing is bad there's a reason why i didnt get credit for ap lang) because trying to mix plot and relationships and fluff and angst and everything is a LOT and i'm struggling so pls be kind heehee
> 
> i finished my assignments earlier today and just kinda wanted to write to relieve stress. i found comfort in writing the second part of the chapter even though it was pretty heavy and sad. but i thought itd be important to see where jeonghan was coming from more. love him so much :(
> 
> and i PROMISE hao is coming soon!!! patience is a virtue (one i do not possess myself but still)
> 
> also i realize at this point that me trying to tell you when i'll upload next is kind of pointless. will it be 10 minutes? will it be 10 months? (okay no it wont be dont worry this wont be like my namkook fic. YOU TRY WRITING 12K WORDS A CHAPTER idk how i ever did it but this 3-5k a chapter is truly my new groove so i'm enjoying writing much more)
> 
> anyways i LOVE LOVE LOVE it when you guys leave comments. like you know that trope of the dog waiting at the door for the mail delivery person? that's me with these comments because i refresh FAR too many times a day to see if anybody new has popped by to say hello hehee i love it so much. 
> 
> anyways please stay safe and see you soon! <3


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey Won. What do you think?”

Wonwoo raises his head from his own work to fix his attention on Jun, the other sitting about two feet away from him on the gymnasium floor. Jun proudly displays his work at his feet, a modern day Michelangelo revealing the Sistine Chapel for the very first time. Except the Sistine Chapel looks, well you know, _good._ Unlike the Sistine Chapel, the ungodly paint on his friend’s poster nearly renders Wonwoo sightless, having to blink several times to believe what he’s seeing. Large, sloppy letters read

**_Maspeth High proudly presents its Annual Homecoming Dance_ **

**_Night Under the Stars_ **

**_Tikets 20$ a person, get yours now before it’s too late!_ **

Wonwoo sets his pencil down and scans the poster thoroughly, taking in all of Jun’s… _interesting_ artistic decisions. The intense shade of yellow and orange letters starkly contrast the dark green poster board it’s painted over, making the whole design look more like the inside of a toilet bowl after a frat party than a cognitive design.

But the proud look in Jun’s eyes halts him from saying that out loud. So instead, Wonwoo decides to provide him with some constructive criticism.

_You spelled tickets wrong._

Jun’s beaming face falls in an instant, making Wonwoo regret saying anything at all. He furrows his eyebrows, dropping his “ta da” hands and scanning frantically over his masterpiece.

“What? No I-“

Wonwoo watches the exact moment where Jun catches his fatal mistake.

“Oh my god,” Jun groans, laying his back flat against the shiny surface of the gym. He hides his face in his arms and Wonwoo can’t tell if it’s from the abnormally bright lights in the room or from embarrassment. “I’ve literally been working on this for the past hour. And now the space between the letters are too small to fit it in. FUCK!”

Wonwoo laughs quietly to himself, finding more humor in the frivolous situation than his own friend’s genuine frustration. Jun had been taking the whole homecoming committee thing much more seriously than Wonwoo would have predicted, seeing that the only reason he joined was to get his mute, quiet, socially awkward friend to talk to one of the most popular guys in the entire school. Probably in the entirety of Queen’s for that matter.

The whole mission has been a failed attempt, if you were wondering. Mingyu hardly had enough time to talk to one person for more than thirty seconds at these homecoming meetings, constantly rotating through every station to make sure that all things were smoothly running. Jun wasn’t even sure if there was anybody else on the planning committee seeing that the teen was practically orchestrating the entire event himself like his job depended on it. But still, it was worth it for Jun to see the look on Wonwoo’s face when Mingyu would ask a simple, “How are the posters coming along?” and Wonwoo’s hands trembling so much that the led in his pencil would snap.

And although Jun may find some enjoyment in seeing Wonwoo’s misfortunes, his friend doesn’t feel the same. So he decides to provide a well needed distraction instead.

Wonwoo sighs, watching Jun from his spot on the floor bellowing out frustrated groans. To get the attention of his wailing friend, Wonwoo nudges him softly on the shin.

Jun immediately stops his fake crying, turning his head on the floor to acknowledge the owner of said foot. Wonwoo grabs his water bottle off the floor next to him and shoves it towards Jun with one hand while signing with the other.

_Can you fill it up, please?_

Jun furrows his eyebrows, already irritated about being treated more like a butler and less like a friend in agony. But Jun decides that it probably beats laying around, wallowing in self pity while having to look over his abominable “tiket” again.

_“Fine”_ Jun signs back dismissively with while grabbing the purple bottle from his hands. He walks towards the gym doors, his sickeningly squeaky footsteps being too drowned out by the music flowing from the sound system. Jun has zero clue who’s been controlling the tunes for their meetings, but if he has to listen to one more song off of the the _High School Musical 2_ soundtrack he’ll snap.

Once down the hallway and safely out of earshot from hearing _Humuhumunukunukuapua’a_ for the thousandth time that week, he lets his body relax and carefully observes the fountain’s stream of water fill Wonwoo’s bottle.

Now that he can finally hear his own fucking thoughts and not Sharpay’s whiny voice, (to be clear Jun doesn’t hate Ashley Tisdale’s voice. She’s an icon. A legend. But Sharpay’s character just makes everything she does so much more irritating), he allows his mind to wander a bit for the first time that day.

Maybe when he gets home from school later he’ll try to coax Chan in going out and doing something with him. The last weeks of tolerable weather are beginning to slip away quickly, and Jun wants to try his best to get his younger brother out before it does. Who knows, maybe by some miracle Chan will find a friend to play with at the park who also knows how to sign, or at least is willing to try and communicate with him somehow. Jun knows the chances of that happening are slim. _Extremely_ slim. But still, living in the biggest city in the U.S. can allow him be a little more optimistic, right?

Jun lets go of the fountain handle when he realizes that water’s overflowing from the container. He closes the lid, leaning down to drink some water while his mind continues to roam.

It’s been almost two weeks now since the night in the alley, each passing day forcing Jun to question himself even more. Still, he’s grateful that Wonwoo is continuing to check his scanner every night for him. The last thing Jun wants is to have to admit that Wonwoo was right, that maybe he really had conjured the whole meeting to be something that it wasn’t. That maybe Jun’s senses were just wrong. Maybe he had fallen victim to the hot hand fallacy, something Seungcheol had taught him one night while they were watching a basketball game on T.V. together.

“ _The hot hand fallacy happens in basketball all of the time,”_ the older had explained to him eloquently, once again shocking Jun at how the other could sound so intelligent while simultaneously eating his linguini pasta with only a spoon. “ _You have one player making shot after shot, sinking 3’s like it’s nothing for the entire game. And after enough shots your mind just can’t process the thought of the ball missing the net and bouncing off the rim. Basically, people will always think that whatever’s happening now will continue to happen forever. Until it doesn’t.”_

Is that what Jun’s abilities are now? Just a failed shot bouncing off a rim? He knew his abilities were somewhat of an uncharted territory, not being able to find a single article about anything else similar occurring in modern history. Would this mean that his abilities have an expiration date?

“Hey!”

The loud voice immediately snaps Jun from his thoughts. He takes his hand off of the fountain press quickly, ungracefully choking in a fit of surprise. Jun whips around, dropping his bottle in the process. It mades a dull _thud_ on the floor _,_ or at least he thinks it does seeing that his ears aren’t able to hear anything but the sound of his own disgusting coughing and pathetic gasps for air.

Minghao stands in front of him, his face expressionless as he watches Jun try and collect what tiny shred of dignity he has left. After a brief and indescribably tense moment between the two, the boy with the auburn hair quietly reaches down and grabs the purple water bottle from the floor. Minghao scans it closely between his hands, rolling it over with fingers smoothing over the matte surface. By this point Jun is able to somewhat stifle his coughs, making the silence between them even more awkward, but he realizes now that his throat is tight for a completely different reason. One having to do with the angel standing in front of him right now.

The other boy doesn’t seem to notice the awkwardness, though. He simply continues to admire the bottle with playful eyes.

In that moment, Jun can do nothing more than dumbly stand there and gawk at the other in their suffocatingly close proximity. He had gotten used to ogling at Minghao from afar, the mysterious character existing on a plane that was in this universe but also _wasn’t._ Like a shining Venus on a warm summer’s night in Central Park, close enough to know that it’s real but much too far to ever admire its detailed beauties. Jun’s mind must have adapted to only being able to see Minghao’s features from afar, like in the cafeteria or the opposite side of homeroom (that is when Minghao would even show up for homeroom.) Kind of like a face you’d see on an oil painting of somebody lost in a crowd. He had grown so used to just the idea of Minghao that seeing the boy in front of him now rendered him speechless.

But now he knows that definition of perfection didn’t seem accurate enough to describe Minghao.

Fierce shades of violet and dark blue adorn his eyes strikingly, like a hauntingly beautiful bruise blooming on both of his eyelids. It smudges perfectly around the outer corners and billows like puffs of smoke against creamy, olive skin. Bits of his red, side-swept bangs gently fall over his eyeshadow, creating a fiery mix of cool and warm, day and night, fire and ice.

The faint hint of lip gloss lingering on his lips has Jun subconsciously sucking in a breath. Gentle light filtering through the window hits the surface of them perfectly, like a warm honey glaze. The rays of sun also illuminate his hair in a way that has Jun wishing he could reach out and touch it, wondering if the soft strands of scarlet fire would burn his hand if he did.

From this distance he can also see the faint acne scars on the other boy’s cheeks that slip through his dewy foundation, like clusters of stars against a dimly lit sky. Jun doesn’t understand how it’s possible that they only make him _more_ attractive but they do. They’re impossibly cute and stunning, leaving him to ponder why society would try so hard and convince him of anything otherwise.

Jun’s eyes wander down towards his neck, noticing how the lacy fabric dangerously snakes around it. It looks effortlessly elegant in addition to the rest of his outfit. The indigo hue of the choker compliments the boy’s lavender crop top which generously exposes both of his arms. Jun can’t help but marvel at the way the muscles look so pretty yet simultaneously so powerful, so dainty yet so secure, the perfect balance of everything. His eyes continue to trail slowly down the rest of Minghao’s petite figure, his eyes all but popping out of his head at the sight of the other’s toned stomach. The crop top goes well above his belly button to unsparingly display the smooth surface. How could somebody be slim yet so _fit._

Also the lavender. The fragrant smell of lavender that hangs between them also compliments the younger boy’s aura perfectly. Jun was able to detect it his junior year before he even had is abilities, so now being so close to the source of the smell? With his tightened senses? He feels himself squeezing his hands tightly just to make sure he stays conscious.

Minghao’s pretty fingers are still grazing over the flask, his rings clinking gently on the surface. The black fingernails halt over a small sticker placed on the neck of the container. Minghao raises an eyebrow at this, humorously looking up to meet Jun’s gaze for the first time. His chocolate eyes burn into his own and Jun feels himself turn into a puddle on the floor.

“A Wonder Girls sticker?” Minghao questions, his finger still hovering over it. It’s an innocent question, one where if anybody else had asked him he wouldn’t have second guessed his words. But for some reason Minghao’s voice is so intense, so deep and _intimidating_ that Jun almost answers in sign language since his he knows his voice would just betray him.

Minghao waits patiently and flicks his gaze between the taller boy’s eyes which definitely does _not_ help Jun try to formulate cognitive sentences. Finally, somehow, Jun is able to think of enough words to effectively communicate.

“N-not mine.”

Jun has has done a lot of embarrassing shit in his life, but _this_ one. This one has a special place in history for one of the dumbest ways to talk to your crush for the first time.

_Not mine._ What was he, fucking two years old? He couldn’t have said _anything_ else? Like “Oh yeah, I’m just filling this up for somebody” or even “That’s my friend’s.”

The daunting sounds of the empty hallway do nothing to help the situation, it being far too late in the day for students to still be aimlessly wandering around. The walls seem to echo Jun’s humiliating words, or lack-there of, as Minghao stands silently in front of him.

But instead of doing what Jun expects, which is to hand back the bottle and run as far away from him as humanly possible, he smiles.

Minghao smiles. At him. And at that exact moment Jun feels an arrow fire straight through his heart at full speed.

The boy in the tank top shrugs, still rubbing his delicate fingers over the matte bottle.

“Wouldn’t judge you if it was. The Wonder Girls used to be one of my favorite groups,” Minghao reveals, voice gentle. He sticks out his hand for Jun to retrieve the bottle. “Kind of a shame it isn’t yours, though. I was going to ask to borrow it since it goes so well with my outfit.”

If Jun gives Minghao the bottle to keep, surely his best friend wouldn’t be mad at him, right? Wonwoo would have to understand that it’s physically impossible for Jun to have the willpower to deny the love of his life anything, right? Some sacrifices had to be made for the greater good, and Wonwoo would just have to lose his bottle knowing it went towards a worthy cause.

But Jun harboring at least _some_ sort of sense knows that Minghao is just joking. Probably. He still can’t really be sure. So instead he nervously laughs, slowly taking it from the other’s hands and clings to the cold metal against his stomach like a life line to stop his shaking hands.

This would be the perfect time for Minghao to abandon their polite small talk and leave, probably not speaking to him for the rest of the year or acknowledging his presence ever again. If the boy was having a conversation with Jun solely out of pity, now would be the time to run.

But Minghao doesn’t run. Instead he stands there, feet pedaling from heel to toe while stuffing both his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. Jun waits, unsure what to make of the conversation and far too nervous to ask. Thankfully, Minghao answers for him.

“You’re Jun, right?”

Jun having absolutely zero clue how the other knows this information nods hesitantly.

“Well, I’m Minghao. But judging by the way you’ve been staring at me from the other end of the cafeteria for the past year, you probably already know that.”

Remember how Jun had said the most humiliating moment of his life had been the whole “not mine” thing? Yeah, well he had no idea that barely thirty seconds later he would be having a huge mouthful of his own words.

Jun feels his jaw hit the floor, unable to control the sputtering he hears coming from his own mouth. He feels the heat in his cheeks like a rampant fire, his heart beating so loud that he knows Minghao can hear it from three feet away.

Had Jun really been _that_ obvious? Okay whenever the other would turn to look in his general direction at lunch he may have been just a half a second too late to successfully divert his eyes. But still.

Minghao must have some pity on the other who’s still trying to gain control of his own tongue to formulate sentences.

“Don’t be embarrassed or anything,” Minghao insists. His eyes turn soft and crinkle slightly as he gives a fairy-like smile. “I know I tend to dress a little more on the noticeable side. But I swear I didn’t come to talk to you to, like, make you uncomfortable. I actually had a question for you.”

The air hangs heavily between them, the ever faint sound of _You Are the Music in Me_ filtering from the gym, until Minghao finally breaks it.

“Mingyu was telling me how he saw you and your friend signing in the cafeteria the other day. And my mom just got remarried so now I’m going to be living in the same house as my little step sister.”

Jun doesn’t move, still not quite completely understanding where this conversation is heading.

“My step sister’s deaf, and I’ve never learned any sign language before. I would just take an ASL class but our school doesn’t offer any. So I was wondering…”

Minghao gazes up from the floor, eyes wide and beaming. God he looks so much like a puppy right now that Jun feels his heart beginning to give up from the strain of it.

“Would you be willing to teach me to sign?”

Time seems to stop as several thoughts pop into Jun’s head.

The first and biggest one.

What?

This isn’t something that’s supposed to happen in real life. In the real world, a stupid crush is supposed to stay a stupid crush. No bumping into each other and dropping books, no getting caught in the rain with only one umbrella to share, no almost falling down the stairs but being gracefully saved at the last second. Jun had spent so many nights binging dramas that a part of his brain had convinced himself that these things may be possible to some lucky person in the world, but even if they did happen it wouldn’t happen to him. Nope, no fucking way.

Also why? Why of all people is Minghao asking for _Jun’s_ help? There were a million different classes he could take online, a million other people he could ask. Hell, he could’ve even asked _Wonwoo_ if he would be willing to. But no, he’s asking for Jun’s help specifically, and the boy has absolutely zero clue what to make of it.

It’s possible that Minghao can see right through Jun’s horrible attempt at remaining cool and knows that he has a huge crush on him. He did say that he saw him staring at him in the cafeteria, right? (Something Jun will most definitely _not_ be doing anymore. Okay, maybe he still would a little.) Minghao probably knew this and asked him because who would be able to say no to their crush?

Certainly not Jun.

“Um, well. I- uh,” Jun tries unsuccessfully while he grips the water bottle tighter. “Yeah, I could try to help you. For sure.”

Minghao straightens his posture instantly, not looking that surprised at Jun’s response but grateful all the same.

“Thanks! You’re a lifesaver.”

Jun sheepishly hunches his shoulders, eyes dropping to the floor in an attempt to hide his burning cheeks. That is, until he sees Minghao’s hand in his field of vision, palm up and expectant. A confused expression makes its way onto Jun’s face as he lifts his eyes slightly to meet the shorter boy’s. Minghao clears his throat.

“So can I?”

Completely unsure of how to read the situation, Jun just hovers awkwardly for a moment. Minghao looks so confident standing there, hand boldly displayed between the two of them, which makes Jun feel stupid for even questioning himself in the first place.

So he does what he thinks he’s supposed to do and slaps Minghao’s hand in a high five.

And as if the space between them couldn’t get _more_ awkward.

Minghao furrows his eyebrows, staring at his own hand in shock while trying to process what just happened. Then he huffs out a breathy laugh, looking out to his side in humorous disbelief while retracting his hand. Naturally, this causes Jun’s anxiety to sky rocket. Had he offended him by giving him a high five? Was he not supposed to do that? Oh my god, how has Jun already managed to blow everything in the span of ten seconds?

He can see it now, a huge picture of his face in this exact moment. _Guinness Book of World Records - Wen Junhui, title holder for being the fastest person to fuck up the best thing to happen in his life._

But the red haired boy isn’t upset. Instead he laughs again, louder this time and with more humor than disbelief. In any other situation it would have been music to Jun’s ears to hear that very sound falling from Minghao’s lips. Especially knowing that he was the cause of it. But right now it’s probably the most nerve wracking laugh Jun has ever heard in his life.

When Minghao finally composes himself and turns back to Jun, who still hasn’t moved for the entirety of their conversation, he stands with an amused expression.

“Um,” Minghao clears his throat, moving his hand in the space between them once more. “I meant, _can I have_ your phone? So I can put in my number to talk about times to study together?”

Jun would truly love nothing more on this earth right now than to curl up in a hole and die.

“Oh my god, that’s- I. I’m so sorry,” Jun rushes out, already fumbling to reach the phone in his back pocket. Minghao doesn’t look irritated, though. Quite the opposite, a bemused smirk staining his face.

Jun gently places the phone onto his hand, praying that the other doesn’t see the way his fingers tremble. If he does then he doesn’t say anything. Rather, he promptly takes the phone in his palm.

Minghao taps the screen once, and before he can register what’s happening, the younger shoves the screen of his phone into Jun’s face. The taller stands there motionless, too bewildered to even process the events ensuing. After a moment, Minghao retracts his hand begins typing with two thumbs.

“Needed your face to unlock,” he explains, not bothering to look up from the phone. God, was Minghao always this difficult to keep up with? Because if he was then Jun honestly doesn’t know how he’ll be able to get through one lesson without passing out.

Within seconds his phone is being handed back to him, and before Jun even has a chance to look at the screen, Minghao’s speaking to him once again.

“Don’t do that stupid thing where people will wait for days before they actually reach out. That shit’s so stupid to me. Just text me as soon as you want. Anyways, see ya!”

And with that he’s off, gracefully strutting down the empty hallway like it’s his own, personal runway.

Jun doesn’t remember breaking his gaze from a slowly shrinking Minghao. He doesn’t remember walking back towards the gym. He doesn’t remember sitting back down on the cold floor again. All he remembers is Wonwoo shoving his shoulder, trying his best to gain his attention.

_What the fuck happened? You look like you just a ghost or something._

Jun groans, hiding his face in his hands.

God, if only it had been that simple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes yes yes because i love you all SO much and you were SO patient, here's an entire chapter dedicated to haojun
> 
> not the most eventful chapter i know but still fun to write.
> 
> im kind of loving the way i'm writing hao idk about u guys. i'm trying my best to base it off of a zendaya type of mj. like cool and confident kind of? idk i just thought itd be kinda cool.
> 
> now that ive pumped out nearly 20k words in 4 days (whew), i should probably try my best and focus more on school this week :.)))))))))))) yep just smile thru the pain. hopefully this ties you guys over until the next one.
> 
> and as always would love love LOVEEEE to hear your thoughts.
> 
> thanks for reading <3
> 
> -s


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